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| trapstik, inhumane, cruel, traps non-target insects and animals, kills birds, animal advocates, los angeles, california, mary cummins, glue trap, visilure, Sterling Intl. TSW-BB6 TrapStik Wasp Trap |
UPDATE: 07/24/2017 Just received this from Canadian environment enforcement.
"Good Monday morning Animal Advocates,
Please see below the response that our program staff provided concerning the Trapstik situation.
· Under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 (MBCA), the Government of Canada is responsible for ensuring that populations of migratory birds are protected and conserved.
· Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is responsible for developing and implementing programs, policies and regulations to ensure the protection of migratory birds, their eggs and their nests.
· ECCC monitors migratory bird status, protects high quality habitat, identifies species at risk, enforces conservation laws, and tracks success of species management activities.
· ECCC is aware of the reports of migratory bird deaths that allegedly occurred in Ontario as a result of wasp traps.
· ECCC officials are monitoring this matter.
· It is our understanding that the manufacturer announced on July 20, 2017 that it is asking retailers to remove the “TrapStik for Wasps” from shelves.
For your information, we also attached a link from the manufacturer, explaining that he is pulling the product from all stores : https://www.rescue.com/trapstik-for-wasps-to-be-pulled-from-stores
Hope this information is helpful.
Thank you and have an excellent day and week!"
UPDATE: GREAT NEWS! The company is pulling the product! Hopefully they can just put a cage around the trap so bats, birds, non-target wildlife don't get stuck on it.
"After careful consideration, we have decided to immediately stop selling the TrapStik for Wasps and are directing our retailers to remove this product from their shelves.
Earlier this week, a Canadian customer and her family discovered that the TrapStik in use outside their home had attracted a number of small birds who became stuck to its surface and died in the struggle to free themselves.
As an environmentally conscious company focused on providing effective, reliable and natural insect control solutions, we were deeply saddened to hear about this unfortunate situation. While it is a rare occurrence with this product, our corporate leaders immediately convened and made the difficult decision to pull TrapStik for Wasps from stores.
We are currently working on ways to make this product safer for use around wildlife while maintaining its efficacy at catching insects. Our product engineers are investigating improvements to the TrapStik design so that the aforementioned incident does not happen again. We will not re-introduce this product into the market until we can ensure its safety for birds and other wildlife.
Media Contact:
Stephanie Cates
Director of Marketing
RESCUE!® Pest Control Products
stephanie@rescue.com"
07/21/2017 US Fish & Wildlife Services got back to us about our complaint. This is their response,
"Dear Animal Advocates,
Thank you for your inquiry alerting us about the marketing of a product to trap wasps that traps migratory bird as well. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's mission is, working with others, to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Essentially all nesting birds native to the United States are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). Therefore, unless specifically authorized by a permit, it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, possess, sell, barter, purchase, ship, export, or import any MBTA-listed species, or any part, nest, or egg of an MBTA-listed species.
This information will be forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement office for review. Please understand that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, only employs 238 special agents throughout the entire United States, who conduct law enforcement investigations that may include activities such as surveillance, undercover work, making arrests, and preparing cases for court.
That said, please continue to bring these matters to our attention. Additional information from concerned members of the public, such as yourself, can only help us in our efforts.
Thank you for your interest in our regulations that help protect fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats. Please feel free to respond to this message with any further inquiries that you may have regarding this matter."
Response from Canadian Agency which enforces the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in Canada,
"Good afternoon Animal Advocates,
Thank you for contacting Environment and Climate change Canada's Public Inquiries Centre.
We acknowledge receipt of your email. Please note that our Canadian Wildlife Service staff are aware of this situation and are looking at ways to address it in the near future.
Thank you for your concerns."
UPDATE: 07/18/2017 The seven chickadees all died. They were alive when the woman's son found them. She should have taken them to a wildlife rehabilitator. At the very least she could have removed them herself following many online instructions.
The company admitted that birds can become stuck to the trap. They need to recall all of their related sticky traps. Chickadees are federally protected birds in Canada and the US. There is a fine and jail time for harming or killing them. We'll be reporting the company. We will have to include the name of the person who used the trap Jessie Wall, from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Below is one of the many articles which came out today about this incident. The birds are clearly alive in the photos.
They look like Paridae Poecile atricapillus Black-capped Chickadee which are protected.
Below is the complaint we sent to ec.enviroinfo.ec@canada.ca,
fws_tips@fws.gov
Jessie Wall, from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada purchased a TrapStick wasp trap in Canada. The product is made by https://www.rescue.com/ Sterling International, Inc., 3808 N. Sullivan Road, Building 16, Spokane, WA 99216-1630, Toll-free: 1-800-666-6766. We are reporting the company to US officials as well.
Per the story, interview and photos in the link below seven Paridae Poecile atricapillus Black-capped Chickadees which are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act were killed by the trap. A company representative in the interview stated that birds can become stuck to the trap.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/trapstik-birds-dead-1.4209052
We want to report the company and person for illegal take of protected birds. The woman stated the birds were alive and fighting each other when she found them. She should have taken the birds to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator to remove them from the traps. Instead she let them die.
We want to report the company for selling a product which they know can kill protected birds. We'd like to ask you to not allow these traps to be sold in Canada and the US. They easily trap non-target protected wildlife when used according to the label. According to the many reviews online thousands of protected animals have been killed by proper use of the traps.
We are licensed wildlife rehabilitators. We've had to remove many animals from these sticky wasp traps and glue traps for rodents.
If there is a specific form we need to fill out and send, please, let us know. Thanks for protecting migratory birds in the US and Canada.
Animal Advocates
My heart hurts.
😥 We bought a wasp trap from Real Canadian Superstore recently as we were noticing a lot of wasps in our backyard. We often have little children playing there so we thought that a trap would help. Sadly unbeknownst to us it trapped 7 tiny birds as well. It is SUPER sticky. We contacted the retailer but unfortunately they cannot remove the product or even post a warning for people. They have a commitment/contract with the distributor. They have noted it with their Head Office. Be warned.
The instructions on the product are faulty. You cannot put it anywhere. You can't allow non-target wildlife to access it. That makes the product unable to use outside. It attracts insects. Those insects get stuck on it and birds who eat insects get stuck on the trap. They made these traps too sticky. They should have used less sticky glue such as the ones on fly strips. Even then fly strips kill non-target animals. They sell this in the US at WalMart and many other stores.
Below are the instructions on the product.
"Protect your yard with the Sterling Intl. TSW-BB6 TrapStik Wasp Trap. This pest control accessory uses VisiLure technology to lure wasps, carpenter bees and mud daubers inside where they then become trapped. Trapstik for wasps can be placed anywhere outside in the garden, patio area, pool side or nearby a nest to help reduce populations.
Rescue Trapstik for Wasps:
Trap is odor-free
Pesticide-free
Catches queens and workers, from spring through fall
Adhesive holds up in hot weather
Can be placed near a nest to reduce populations, making it safer to spray
Directions:
Instructions: Trapstik for wasps can be placed anywhere outside in the garden, patio area, pool side or nearby a nest to help reduce populations."
Our previous article about the evils of glue traps. Also instructions on how to remove animals stuck in glue sticky traps.
Here is the company's website.
https://www.rescue.com/
Sterling International, Inc.
3808 N. Sullivan Road, Building 16
Spokane, WA 99216-1630
Toll-free: 1-800-666-6766
Here are the instructions. It says don't place it anywhere where children, pets or birds can come in contact with it. That's ridiculous. You'd have to only place it indoors for birds not to be able to contact it. The company knows damn well it will attracts birds that eat insects outdoors.
https://www.rescue.com/core/files/rescue/products/87b9bb4a47ec7837eda10c7d1dd342d9.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/notes/animal-advocates/how-to-remove-an-animal-stuck-in-a-glue-trap-animal-advocates/10153595439528199/
Mary Cummins of
Animal Advocates is a
wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the
California Department of Fish and Game and the
USDA.
Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.
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Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit
